Ralph Herzka

Brooklyn native Ralph Herzka is a dominant force in the New York City real estate market, with his Meridian Capital closing almost $18 billion of financing there in 2013 alone. Overall, Meridian closed a record $25.8 billion in commercial real estate financing across the country in 2013. It has also been a busy few months for Mr. Herzka’s other ventures. Mr. Herzka is a founding investor in Ladder Capital, the commercial real estate lender and CMBS originator that raised $225 million in an initial public offering last month, and he remains an active member of Ladder Capital’s board of directors. Meanwhile, Beech Street Capital, the mortgage-banking firm co-founded by Mr. Herzka, was sold to Capital One in a deal that closed in November 2013.